iDAS

Day Wireless Services

Day Wireless prides itself on its unparalleled experience in solving wireless challenges.

By Bianca Herron

Day Wireless Systems has been dedicated to applying service excellence and technological innovation in order to solving its clients’ problems since 1969.

Today, the Milwaukie, Ore.-based company is one of the largest full-service wireless integrators in the West, providing design, construction, licensing, sales, service, rentals, installation, and maintenance for a wide variety of wireless voice, data and video applications.

“As an integrator we provide solutions rather than products and services,” Director of Technology Vlad Erofeev says. “A wireless access point or a coverage enhancement antenna is just a dumb box. We take those components and wrap professional services around it to produce solutions that work for in-building users.”

In an industry with fierce competition, Day Wireless prides itself on providing custom designed solutions for its customers in many of its markets. It does so with multiple divisions that focus on everything from complex professional engineering services to technical service support, site survey testing and low-voltage electrical projects.

“While many companies subcontract much of their work and concentrate on being the best in just a couple of areas, we have had a lot of time to become good at doing more,” Erofeev explains. “Our internal capabilities include RF engineering services, installation and communication site construction.”

A Market Leader

The company specializes in designing and installing distributed antenna systems (DAS) that support public safety communication. Day Wireless has a long history of selling and supporting Motorola two-way radio systems. This industry knowledge has been a key to their success.

“Because of our background in public safety two-way radio systems, we have a much better understanding of how those radios work. Public Safety emergency responder radio systems are complex and don’t function like cellular systems”, Strategic Business Manager Scott Umemoto says. “For us, our biggest differentiator really boils down to our two-way public safety radio experience. Most of our competitors did not come from that background.

“If an emergency responder DAS system is installed incorrectly, it can cause enough interference to completely debilitate an entire police and fire radio network,” he adds. “There are a lot of integrators that are not comfortable with this aspect, or are simply not qualified. The FCC can fine you thousands of dollars per day for causing interference to a radio network.”

Day Wireless’ experience with public safety radios helped it lead the way in DAS installations in the Pacific Northwest. The company was among the first in the market to install these systems.

“The western Washington and Seattle markets were early adaptors of DAS, and as a region, we were ahead in providing these systems,” Umemoto says. “Our vendors would say that, in terms of public safety DAS, western Washington has been way ahead of the curve for several years.”

The company recently purchased hardware and software testing equipment from PCTEL Inc. that streamlines the pre and post coverage testing for a building. “With this technology, we can walk through the entire building and gather data that is sent directly to design software, cutting down on the time spent collecting and documenting the site data” Umemoto explains. “We can generate before and after coverage results for the contractor, building owner, or fire marshals.”

Performance Driven

Day Wireless relies on its 300 employees in California, Oregon and Washington to ensure customers benefit from its expertise. To best serve its client’s needs, the company has developed a company culture that fosters individual growth, which in return makes the organization stronger, Erofeev says.

He notes that Day Wireless has become a place where “talented people” build lasting careers in a fast-paced industry. “I like to joke with my friends that one of the engineers on my team has worked for Day Wireless longer than I have been alive, which is 41 years,” Erofeev says. “We invest in our people with pride, and spend a significant amount of money per year on training and certifications. We are also a family-owned company and are proud of our family atmosphere.”

Day Wireless boasts a large and robust sales organization that consists of technically trained account managers. Their job is to engage existing customers daily and also create new ones. “They also educate customers about today’s in-building needs and the ways they can both save them money, and help better plan for the future,” Erofeev says.

It’s not only the sales organization’s job to educate customers, but also Erofeev’s. He speaks at colleges, local community meetings and associations about communications solutions that enhance and save lives. For example, he notes it is the company’s job to educate and convince customers about enhancing communications within their buildings.

“In a perfect world, today’s Class A structure is expected to have proper connectivity coverage in 95 to 100 percent of the inside areas,” he explains. “The needs vary as to whether it’s a mall complex, school or hotel; however, a first responder will need to be able to use their two-way radio anywhere within that building. A tenant will also want to stream a ball game on their smartphone using any of the four major carriers.”

When it comes to public safety and cellular DAS, a big part of Day Wireless’ job as educators is to ensure planning starts at the architect level. However, Erofeev notes that often developers realize they need one when it’s too late.

“Costs can rise significantly as the level of construction progresses,” he says. “We have been contacted by panicking customers many times who want a DAS designed and installed in an impossible time frame. It’s usually because the fire marshal won’t give them an occupancy permit otherwise.”

Umemoto says the company encourages contractors and building owners to involve it in the construction phase as early as possible. Day Wireless will analyze floor plans, building specs and designs to determine the most suitable public safety DAS system to install. “We want to educate the customer as much as possible from the very beginning,” Umemoto says. “Our contractors like that we take the time to give the most accurate proposal that we can.”

Exceeding Expectations

Day Wireless has many customers that are technology, advertising, media and information (TAMI) tenants. The segment has surpassed the traditional largest lessors of commercial real estate.

TAMI tenants tend to be younger, so it makes sense that today’s tenants are tech-savvy and “bandwidth/application hungry,” according to Erofeev. That is why Day Wireless offers several in-building solutions that help address the needs of these tenants, including DAS, Wi-Fi systems, digital surveillance, access control systems and in-building IoT solutions.

“As a company that has wireless in its name, we have decades of experience in that world,” Erofeev notes. “So we concentrate on implementing complete connectivity enhancement solutions. As the technology world has advanced at a lightning pace, so have we and we have no plans to stop.”

All of the company’s solutions provide enhanced connectivity within buildings, provide value-added applications or both, Erofeev adds. “Most are ‘nice to have,’ which means no law or code requires the building owner and/or tenant to have it in place,” he says. “Although today’s technology world can blur the boundaries between ‘nice to have’ and ‘must have,’ regardless of regulations.”

He adds that DAS, which can be a cellular, customer owned radio system, or public safety type of system is a rapidly growing industry. “Partially driven by regulations and code in the public safety sector area, these solutions have and will literally save lives,” he says. “It is no longer and shouldn’t be acceptable for a first responder to not be able to use their two-way radio, cellular or other communication device inside a building because of signal and/or connectivity issues.”

According to Erofeev, local municipalities are addressing that concern by enforcing strict codes. “While the code varies from one municipality to another, the premise is the same,” he explains. “While a public safety DAS at first glance might not appear important to a TAMI tenant, with some education – and real life examples – they can be persuaded otherwise.”

Umemoto says the company does its best to educate building owners about local, national and international code requirements. “What we find is that contractors or building owners may not think the codes apply to them, while in essence, every building should be tested,” he says, noting that codes require public safety coverage across 97 percent of the building. “Today the codes focus mostly on new construction, but will soon start requiring existing building owners to install public safety DAS systems to meet code as well.”.

Cellular DAS, on the other hand, is not dictated by code but is becoming more of a necessity, as TAMI tenants need more data and coverage to meet their needs, he adds. “Wi-Fi, digital surveillance, the internet of things and smart building are also switching from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have,’” Erofeev says, noting that decreasing equipment costs are making these solutions “much more attractive.”

“Day Wireless offers a full suite of services and is a value-added reseller of products that can meet all of the TAMI tenant in-building needs for those technologies,” he says.

Looking Ahead

Day Wireless is committed to delivering the results its customers need by providing cutting-edge wireless technology to increase productivity and exceed customer expectations. “This not only creates financial growth and opportunities for our customers, but also for our employees and company,” Erofeev says.

As the company looks ahead, Erofeev notes that its core values – initiative, integrity, accountability, respect, loyalty, charity, community, engagement and fun – are critical to its success.

“We are serious about our culture, and are working every day on becoming a better company that affects our customers and employees’ life in a positive ways,” he concludes.